The state is close to completing multi-million dollar emergency repairs to a cracked highway overpass in Augusta, but is still far from finding the driver who hit the bridge, officials said.
On Thursday, the Department of Transportation will reconfigure I-95 exit 109A back to its original layout, work that will take place in phases throughout the day, according to DOT spokesman Ted Talbot.
During the early morning commute, the temporary southbound off-ramp onto Whitten Road will be closed, and traffic headed into downtown Augusta should take exit 112, 113, or exit 109B, Talbot said. The original southbound off-ramp onto Western Avenue will reopen later in the morning, he said.
The state was forced to install temporary exit ramps in November while crews repaired to the nearby overpass, where DOT workers discovered a massive crack on Oct. 3, 2017, believed to have been caused by an unknown truck driver hauling a large payload.
To this day, the hunt for the driver has stumped officials. They have found no witnesses or video footage of the crash, and there was no debris, according to Talbot.
DOT completed the fast-tracked repair work — estimated to cost $3 million out of the state’s highway fund — ahead of schedule, Talbot said. The agency also raised the exit 109A overpass an additional foot to mitigate the chances of future strikes, and is installing an over-height load warning system to protect bridges in that area, he said.
Follow the Bangor Daily News on Facebook for the latest Maine news.